please know that you are expected to:
- donate a minimum of $5 directly to the BLM Toronto fund (http://blacklivesmatter.ca/#testimonials) or your nearest local chapter (http://blacklivesmatter.com/find-chapters/), AND/OR
- make a clear and generous demonstration of support for your local chapter of BLM
This is a statement of support for Black Lives Matter (BLM), and explicitly Black Lives Matter Toronto (BLM-TO), from animal defenders & communities against speciesism.
Mainstream “animal rights” and vegan capitalism takes up a lot of space in the social imagination of allyship towards non-human animals. Images of skinny white cis abled bodies, expensive food in gentrified neighbourhoods and abstract philosophical theories are common examples.
Because of this, we feel compelled to make our presence known, to vocalize that there are animal defenders who respect and admire the radical efforts of Black Lives Matter.
We understand how examples of violence, like anti-Black racism, intertwine and support other systems of oppression, like violence against animals and the Earth. We understand how the role of the state in sponsoring violence against our communities in different capacities requires a united front as we demand police accountability, police disarmament and prison abolition.
And so we support Black Lives Matter and all their efforts towards dismantling structural racism and white supremacy. Our support will look like actively recognizing the amount of work needed to challenge and disrupt internalized racism and white privilege that abound within communities advocating for animals and vegan diets. We will follow the inspiring examples of BLM Toronto who apply the intersectional analysis that centres women of colour, queer, trans, indigenous and Black voices.
We will aspire to become unapologetic when unpacking racism in our own organizations and through our campaigns against other injustices within society. We will work in solidarity with Black communities to show support, love and resistance against hate and violence.
Sincerely,
Earthling Liberation Kollective (ELK)
Animal Rights Kollective (ARK II)
Campus Animal Rights Educators
Collectively Free (New York, Baltimore)
Hamilton/Halton Animal Liberation Team – HALT
Palestinian Animal League – PAL
Palestinian Animal League Solidarity – PALS
Students for Critical Animal Studies (SCAS)
The Northwest Animal Rights Network (NARN)
Black Lives Matter – Toronto is a coalition of Black community members that seeks liberation from anti-black racism & state-sanctioned violence, including but not limited to police violence, mass incarceration, state policies, and community issues like poverty.
For more information on their demands, click here.
Earthling Liberation Kollective 